Day three of the China-Korea Youth Challenge: Korean teams dominate, Mingtu stands out alone

Zuo Rui reporting from Dingnan, JiangxiOn the 13th, the first "462 Cup" China-Korea Youth Football Elite Challenge reached its third round, with Korean teams winning three China-Korea confrontations, while Guangdong Mingtu defended the Chinese team’s pride with a decisive victory.

Guizhou FA 1-6 Seongnam FC

Against Guizhou FA’s defense, after a draw in the first round and scoring four goals in the second, Seongnam FC’s number 13 Kim Jin-woo scored in three consecutive matches. With two goals in this game, the Korean player leads the top scorer list with seven goals in total. Although Liu Songyan pulled one back for Guizhou FA when trailing 0-2, this first concession did not stop Seongnam FC’s overwhelming attack as they scored four more goals consecutively. This team remains the only undefeated side since the tournament began. Incheon United, Shanghai Port, and Guangdong Mingtu each won once on penalties and share 8 points, ranking among the top four.

Incheon United 4-4 (6-5 on penalties) Evergrande Football School

Incheon United had a smooth start, scoring their first shot in the 3rd minute with number 36 Lee Kwan-ho finding the corner. At the 30th minute, Evergrande’s goalkeeper made a mistake, allowing number 25 Huang Pu Tai Xiang to head in an empty net from a corner; by the 43rd minute, number 14 Liu Can-yong extended the lead to 3-0 with a header. Although number 38 Liu Zi-han pulled one back for Evergrande, Huang Pu Tai Xiang quickly scored again. The 4-1 lead lasted until the 72nd minute, when Yu Jiawei, Yang Jingwen, and Zheng Dingchang scored three consecutive goals to equalize at 4-4. In the penalty shootout, both sides scored their first five shots, but Incheon’s goalkeeper saved the sixth, deciding the winner.

Henan 0-1 Yongin FC

This match between a Chinese Super League youth team and a K2 League club’s squad was evenly matched, with Yongin FC having a slight edge in organizing offense and defense details. Both teams, still without a win, committed many players to midfield, resulting in intense physical and ground battles, numerous possession changes, and fouls. Consequently, the fluidity of attack-defense transitions was limited, and scoring chances were scarce. In the 55th minute, a back pass error by Henan gave the opponent an opportunity. Number 10 Nam Seung-woo intercepted and faced the goalkeeper directly, scoring the only goal for Yongin FC.

HSFA Hwaseong 0-4 Guangdong Mingtu

Despite being dominated on the field by their Korean opponents, Guangdong Mingtu’s solid defense kept a clean sheet, while their counterattacks were precise. Within half an hour, number 35 Chen Yongqi scored two breakaway goals; at the 36th minute, number 16 Huang Junxi broke through centrally and fired past the goalkeeper; at the 50th minute, number 7 Mai Jingye cut in from the left and scored from the edge of the box. Guangdong Mingtu won 4-0. After the match, Mingtu’s coach Yang Junhao said the team’s defense was even better than their offense and did not expect such a high score. After three rounds, HSFA Hwaseong, with only one win, ranked 10th and temporarily last among the Korean teams.

In other matches held the same day, Shanghai Port defeated Wuhan Three Towns 2-0 to maintain their unbeaten record. Host Dingnan Dream won the "Ganzhou Derby" 1-0 against Ganzhou Youth Training Center. Xi’an Sports School crushed Shenzhen Xinpengcheng 5-1, while Zhejiang FC beat Chengdu Football Association 2-1, each claiming their first victory in Dingnan.